''.
Establishment A center of trade since
antiquity, the city of
Genoa relied heavily on income from
merchant shipping and
trade. As such, piracy posed a substantial threat to the city's merchants, who were forced to pay for the defense of their ships. The city was likewise vulnerable to attack, a fact made apparent when in 935 a fleet led by
Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi of the
Fatimids sacked the city. The Muslim incursion spurred the city to build strong harbor defenses, and renewed interest in an armed merchant marine to patrol the
Ligurian Sea. After decades of disorder caused by the
Norman conquest of southern Italy, the Genoese navy
assisted in the capture of the city of
Mahdia in 1087. The beginning of the
Crusades in 1095 resulted in a great period of prosperity for Genoa. As new crusaders were constantly needed to secure the
Holy Land (and later to reinforce the
Crusader states), Genoa was able to profit by assisting in the transport of military forces from Europe. The Genoese fleet sheltered in these ports and defended them from pirates. At this time the fleet relied principally on two types of galleys, heavy
Byzantine-style
dromon (
dromone)
, and lighter Italian-style galleys. This fleet was supplemented by armed merchant
cogs. The Genoese fleet was effective in converting merchant galleys into warships during wartime, and so made extensive use of such converted vessels.
Mercantile conflicts established Genoese naval domination in the Western Mediterranean for nearly a century. In addition to supporting the wars in the Holy Land, the navy played a vital role in the Genoese rivalry with the nearby
Republic of Pisa, which competed with Genoa for influence in
Corsica and
Sardinia. It was common for the Italian maritime states to prey on their rival's merchant shipping, and the Genoese navy was known to both suppress and participate in this practice. In 1119 a Genoese squadron raided a Pisan merchant convoy, beginning the first of the
Genoese-Pisan Wars. The first of the wars ended inconclusively, but resulted in a century of raiding and piracy as both cities fought over Corsica and Sardinia. In the 1230s a second, undeclared war erupted between Genoa and Pisa as part of the wider
Guelphs-Ghibellines Conflict. The
Holy Roman Emperor sided with Pisa when the war broke out, forcing Genoa to find allies abroad. The republic sided with the Pope (who was at the time in a dispute with the Holy Roman Emperor), and sent a fleet to transport a Guelph army to Rome in a show of support for the papal cause. The Ghibellines discovered the plan and, along with a Pisan fleet, intercepted the Genoese navy at the
Battle of Giglio in 1241. Weighted down with passengers and baggage, the Genoese navy lost 3 galleys sunk and 27 captured. The second war with Pisa ended in a
white peace in 1243. In the eastern Mediterranean, conflicts between Genoese and Venetian merchants in Acre resulted in the
War of Saint Sabas being fought from 1256 to 1270. During the conflict the Genoese navy was defeated in a series of pitched battles against Venice, and so it resorted to attacking merchant convoys instead of warships. This strategy proved highly effective and would become known as "War of the Chase" to the Genonese, in which faster Genoese galleys would outrun slower, better organized Venetian squadrons. The disastrous defeats at the hands of Pisa and Venice hindered Genoese ambitions, but also led to the creation of a dedicated naval force in Genoa. In 1340 a contingent of 15 Genoese galleys under the command of
Pietro Barbavera fought for the French fleet against the English fleet at the pivotal
Battle of Sluys. As Genoa continued to expand its trade network during the 14th century, the navy was increasingly employed to defend trade routes. While these naval trade routes greatly benefited the city, they also left it vulnerable to disease. In 1347 the
Black Death was introduced to
Kaffa during
a Mongol siege and soon spread aboard fleeing Genoese ships. A Genoese merchant fleet sailing from Kaffa spread the disease to
Messina, from which city the plague spread to the rest of Europe. Over 40,000 people in the city of Genoa died in the pandemic, a disaster that reduced the amount of money available to finance the fleet. Many sailors were also killed by the Black Death, leaving the navy undermanned. A third conflict with Venice began over trading disputes in the Black Sea in 1350. Venice allied itself with the
Crown of Aragon and the Byzantine Empire, and in doing so mustered a large force that outnumbered the Genoese navy. Genoa won a costly victory at a
battle in the Bosporus Straits in February 1352 that forced Byzantium to withdraw from the war. The tide of the war reversed when in 1353 the Genoese navy suffered a defeat at the
Battle of Alghero. The loss of a fleet at Alghero sparked civil unrest in Genoa, further hampering the Republic's war effort. To combat this discord, the republic was temporarily dissolved and Genoa came under the rule of the
Duke of Milan. In November 1354 a Genoese fleet commanded by Admiral
Paganino Doria surprised a Venetian fleet off the coast of
Pylos. At the ensuing
Battle of Sapienza Genoa sank or captured 35 Venetian galleys. A peace treaty was signed between Venice and Milan in 1355, bringing an end to the conflict. While the status quo in the east was maintained, the Crown of Aragon was able to establish itself as a major rival to Genoese domination of the Western Mediterranean. In 1378 the
War of Chioggia broke out between Genoa and Venice, a conflict Genoa initiated to counter Venetian threats to the Republic's trade routes in the Black Sea. During the war, a large percentage of the navy was relegated to escorting transport ships from Genoa to Crimea. The Venetians took advantage of the absence of Genoese warships and raided coastal settlements under Genoese control. The Genoese navy suffered a defeat in 1378 when a squadron was destroyed by the Venetians off of the
Cape d'Anzio. Genoa won a victory in May 1379, after which the fleet sailed to the port of
Chioggia in the
Adriatic and captured the city. The Genoese intended to use their new position at Chioggia to blockade the city of Venice, but on June 24, 1380 the navy was defeated and driven from the city by a Venetian relief force. 17 Genoese warships were captured in the ensuing rout, and the Genoese army was left stranded in Chioggia without supplies. The Genoese garrison later surrendered the town, and the War of Chioggia soon ended in a status quo, having exhausted both Genoa and Venice. The Genoese navy lost vital sailors, ships, and was supplanted as the leading naval power in the Western Mediterranean by Aragon. In 1435 a Genoese fleet was dispatched at the request of
Milan to the town of
Gaeta, which was besieged by Aragon. At the time, the Duke of Milan and the King of Aragon were fighting as to who would control the
Kingdom of Sicily. The Genoese fleet arrived at Gaeta and defeated the numerically superior Aragonese fleet at the
Battle of Ponza. The Aragonese flagship was forced to surrender and
King Alfonso V of Aragon was captured. Despite this setback, Aragon prevailed in the conflict and Sicily came under Aragonese control, making passage through the
Strait of Messina difficult and further disrupting Genoese naval activities. . Starting in the 15th century the
Ottoman Empire began to expand at the expense of the Byzantine Empire and other countries friendly to Genoese merchants. The gradual loss of Imperial territory, coupled with the destruction of smaller Christian states such as
Trebizond,
Cyprus, and
Amasra chipped away at Genoese mercantile interests in the Black Sea. The Ottomans constructed a massive fleet, and in doing so became the dominant naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 1453
Constantinople fell, and the Ottomans closed the
Dardanelles and
Hellespont to Christian shipping. This act cut the Genoese navy off from its bases in the Black Sea, and Genoa found itself isolated from the colonies that had for centuries provided the republic access to
Russia and
Central Asia. With no way to return home and having had their lines of communication disrupted, the Genoese squadron in the Black Sea dispersed. Now indefensible, warehouses, fortresses, and ships built by the republic were lost. The former Genoese colonies were eventual annexed by regional powers, with Kaffa falling to the Ottomans in 1475. Despite the decline of the Genoese Navy and the Republic, Genoa's sailors remained in high regard. Cartographers and navigators such as
Christopher Columbus,
Battista Agnese, and
Pietro Vesconte all hailed from the city state.
Resurgence under Andrea Doria The Genoese navy saw a period of revival under the leadership of admiral and statesman
Andrea Doria, who renewed interest in the navy. Doria was born in Genoa and served as a mercenary for various nations during his early life. He returned from service as a mercenary captain in 1503 to encourage Genoa to resist French encroachment, but failed and was forced to flee the city. From 1503 to 1522 Doria commanded a Genoese squadron in the Mediterranean against the Ottomans and the
Barbary states. He fought against the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of France in 1522 before leading the Genoese fleet into Genoa and expelling the French in 1528. Doria then came into the service of
Emperor Charles V of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and was granted the office of
Imperial Admiral. Doria incorporated the Genoese navy into the Imperial navy and went on to
defend the fortress of
Koroni from the Ottomans and capture the city of
Patras. A major victory over the Ottomans in the
Battle of Girolata by the Genoese navy resulted in the capture of 11 galleys and Admiral
Dragut. After retiring from military service, Doria, who was genuinely devoted to his native city of Genoa, worked to re-establish the republic's independence, free of the interference of foreign powers. The Genoese economy began to shift from trade to banking and manufacturing as
Portugal and
Spain established their overseas empires, and Doria advocated that the Genoese navy should shift its doctrine from competition with other Christian nations to that of cooperation with other Europeans against
Muslim piracy. He was also a strong proponent of using
naval artillery, and as such equipped many of the navy's vessels with cannon. The revival period ended in the mid-16th century due to a series of military failures. The Imperial fleet was decisively defeated by the Ottomans at the
Battle of Preveza in 1538, a Genoese fleet was damaged by a series of storms during the 1541
Algiers expedition, a Genoese-Spanish fleet was defeated at
Ponza in 1552, and the navy failed to stop a French force from capturing Corsica in 1553. Genoa sent a contingent of her fleet to a Christian alliance that was defeated by the Ottomans at the
Battle of Djerba in 1560. 1556 saw the republic create the
Magistrato delle galee (magistrate of the galleys) to combat small-scale piracy. During the 15th century competition between Genoa, Venice, Spain, and
Portugal resulted in the creation of the
Carrack.
Further decline and disbandment The decline of the Genoese navy and fleet continued through the 17th and 18th centuries, perhaps starting as soon as the 16th century. Changes in the economy of Genoa ensured that bankers, not merchants, became the strongest economic force in the city. The need to protect trade routes declined as a consequence, shrinking the need for a large navy. In addition, the development of larger, organized navies for the development of dedicated warships that outclassed the dual role merchant-warships favored by Genoa. In the postwar period the republic commissioned a number of
frigates and
corvettes into the navy, though funding for the force was minimal.
Napoleonic Wars Following the rise of first
Revolutionary France and later
Napoleonic France, the Genoese Republic's political situation became increasingly untenable. While officially neutral during the
French Revolutionary Wars, Genoa's close proximity to France allowed the larger country to continuously pressure the republic. During the 1795
Battle of Genoa, a French fleet with Genoese support was defeated by the
British Royal Navy off the coast of the city. In 1797 the republic was dissolved and the city of Genoa itself was occupied by a French army. The lands that had formerly been under the control of the city of Genoa were reconstituted into the
Ligurian Republic, a French
client state. However, the Genoese navy remained intact. In 1798 the Ligurian fleet dispatched some of its ships to aid
Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in Egypt and Syria; this ended in disaster when the French fleet was scattered or destroyed at the
Battle of the Nile. Following the end of the
Napoleonic Wars, the city was granted to the
Kingdom of Sardinia. The Genoese navy was disbanded on 3 January 1815, the day the city was annexed. == Organization ==